


new things

by helsinkibaby



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Everyone Finds Out, F/M, Fluff, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24326803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: The end of one of McGarrett’s poker nights gives Junior a surprise.
Relationships: Noelani Cunha/Steve McGarrett
Kudos: 21
Collections: 1 Million Words' BINGO





	new things

**Author's Note:**

> For the one million words bingo, holding hands/say yes/surprise me/slow dancing

Junior never sees it coming.

It's at the end of one of McGarrett's poker nights, a good one for him where he managed to break even which, with the luck he usually has, is a win in his book. There were plenty of smiles, plenty of laughter and, as usual when Steve and Danny and alcohol and poker chips are involved, plenty of banter, some good-natured, some a little not. Noelani had actually made out the best, winning hands with such ease that Junior's not entirely sure she wasn’t counting cards and Junior had seen a whole new side of the usually quiet Medical Examiner as she'd sat beside Steve and given as good as she got in the snark stakes.

He can hear her laughter and the clink of bottles and glasses coming from the kitchen as he and Tani straighten up the living room. Danny had left first, muttering about lost earnings and college fees, while Grover had given Adam a ride back to his place. "Done," Junior says as he slides the box of poker chips into its place on the shelf and when he looks around, Tani is surveying the room, her hands on her hips, a frown on her face as if she's looking for evidence at a crime scene.

And if Junior allows his eyes to roam over her body a little more than he normally would, he decides he'll blame it on the beers he's consumed.

He's distracted from his thoughts - and more importantly saved from her catching him looking at her - by the sound of quiet voices and footsteps and then Steve and Noelani reappear. They both look surprised to see him and Tani standing there. "You guys didn't have to clean up," Steve says and Junior shrugs.

"I live here," he reminds him.

"And I was waiting to see if Noelani needed a ride,” Tani says. Which makes sense to Junior because Noelani didn’t have her car with her. She and Steve had been running late, caught at the ME's office over the case they'd just wrapped so Steve had brought her over. Junior's so busy trying to not take it personally that Tani hadn't wanted a few extra minutes alone with him that he almost misses Noelani's next words.

"You don't have to-" she begins and Tani doesn't let her finish.

"You are not taking a cab when my car's right outside," she tells her with a laugh. "Seriously, you're right on my way."

"No... I mean..." Noelani looks flustered, looks to Steve as if for help and that's when it happens, the punch that Junior never saw coming.

"That's not necessary, Tani. Noelani's staying here." Steve's voice is quiet and Junior blinks, sees his confusion mirrored on Tani's face. Then Steve steps closer to Noelani, takes her hand in his. "With me."

The words hang in the air between them and Junior knows his jaw has dropped, knows he should say something but can't make his mouth work. The fact that Tani is similarly afflicted doesn't make him feel any better. Noelani's cheeks are flushed, either with pleasure or embarrassment, Junior can't say, and Steve takes a step towards the stairs, tugs her hand gently. "C'mon," he says, so quietly that Junior can barely hear him. "See you guys tomorrow."

With that, he and Noelani are gone, leaving Junior and Tani staring at one another.

Tani recovers first. "Did you-?" she begins and he shakes his head quickly.

"I had no idea." He tilts his head. "Did you?"

"Do I look like I did?" Tani spreads her hands wide, laughs in what can only be sheer amazement.

"Danny can't know..." Junior is thinking out loud.

"No way he'd keep it quiet," Tani agrees. "Adam and Grover?"

Junior pulls out his cell phone. "Should we tell them or wait 'til tomorrow?"

"Are you kidding? I want to see their faces!" Tani is laughing but she stops abruptly when there's a faint noise from upstairs. "What was-" She stops talking when the noise comes again, this time louder, and it's very clear exactly what it is.

A female moan.

Junior's cheeks flush scarlet and Tani's jaw drops and their eyes meet. Junior doesn't think twice about his next words. "You've got a couch at your place, right?"

Tani doesn't blink. "Yours if you want it."

Junior just about remembers to lock up on his way out the door.

*

Noelani giggles as Steve's arms sneak around her from behind, his head dipping down to kiss her cheek. "Stop it," she laughs, swatting at his hands with no real intent. "They're right outside." They've done a good job up to now of keeping the change in their relationship on the down low, even managing to keep up appearances when they were sitting side by side at the poker table and Steve's foot had kept "accidentally" nudging against hers. Noelani wonders if the rest of the team know what a tease their commander is, decides they probably don't. Then Steve's lips actually nibble against her skin and she breathes in sharply, all other thoughts drifting away.

"They've all gone by now," he assures her. "And I'm sure Junior's crashed out upstairs... it's not the first time he's left the clean up to me." He doesn't sound very sorry about it. "It's just you and me..."

Noelani turns in his arms and the look she sees in his eyes makes her shiver. "They won't think it's weird I'm the only one left?"

Steve shrugs. "They know I brought you here tonight; they probably think I'll drop you back home."

"Which you will." Noelani frowns because as long as they've been doing this, and it hasn't been that long, they've always gone back to her place, the one without one permanent house guest, one recurring house guest and a dog that doesn't always recognise boundaries.

Much to her surprise, Steve tilts his head, purses his lips. "Or you could stay." She opens her mouth to say something but he doesn't let her get that far. "We can get up early tomorrow, before Junior wakes up, I'll bring you home then, no-one's gonna know..." One of his hands reaches up, caresses her cheek gently. "And I'd really like to know what it's like to wake up with you. Please." He leans in, kisses her cheek. "Say yes."

It should be against the law, Noelani decides, for him to say something like that, looking like he looks. "I am getting sick of you sneaking out in the middle of the night," she admits and Steve, probably sensing weakness, nods.

"Tell me about it... I'm actually wondering about Junior's investigative skills... I mean, where does he think I am, right? She laughs again at that, drops her head against his chest. Steve's arms tighten around her. "So? Is that a yes?"

Noelani nods. "It's a yes," she says and he laughs, lifting her up off her feet as her arms go around his neck and he kisses her properly, driving any thoughts of secrecy - any thoughts period - right out of her head.

When he stops kissing her - and that could be minutes or hours later - and sets her down, Noelani's head is spinning and she doesn't disagree when he looks over her shoulder at the plates and glasses adorning the counter. "Let's leave the clean up," he says and she is not going to argue, not when the alternative is being naked in a bed with him so she doesn't object at all when he leads the way out of the kitchen and across the living room -

\- where they find Junior and Tani standing in the middle of the room.

Tani's looking around the room, Junior's looking at Tani, no surprise there Noelani thinks, but they both look surprised to see Noelani and Steve standing so close to one another. The room around them is spotlessly clean and that's what Steve chooses to focus on, saying, "You guys didn't have to clean up."

"I live here," Junior shrugs and Noelani, having heard Steve complain more than once about Junior's lack of order, especially for a SEAL, bites back a smile.

"And I was waiting to see if Noelani needed a ride,” Tani says. There's a flash of something like disappointment, quickly covered, on Junior's face but Noelani can't think about that, not now. Not when she has some fancy talking to do. Because now that she's let herself consider the option of staying here with Steve, she really doesn't want to go home.

"You don't have to-" she says, but Tani cuts her off with a laugh.

"You are not taking a cab when my car's right outside." Her eyes are bright, probably anticipating a girly gossip in the car on the way home. "Seriously, you're right on my way."

"No... I mean..." Noelani's lost for words and she looks to Steve for help, and even she's surprised at his next move.

His voice when he says, "That's not necessary, Tani. Noelani's staying here," sends goosebumps up and down Noelani's arms, but that's nothing compared to the jolt that goes through her when Steve comes to stand beside her, close enough that she can feel the heat of his body, and takes her hand in his. The "With me," that he adds is probably overkill, but Noelani doesn't care. It's the first time he's ever held her hand in front of anyone they know and she's not prepared for how it affects her, the rush of emotion and, yes, fine, she can admit it, arousal that results. Steve makes a move towards the stairs, a twinkle in his eye that lets her know he's similarly affected. "C'mon," he says, for her ears only and then, to Junior and Tani who are staring after them, shell shocked, "See you guys tomorrow."

They're silent on their way up the stairs, silent on their way down the hall and only when the bedroom door is closed behind them, when Noelani's back is pressed up against it, Steve's body flush against hers, does she speak. "I think you surprised them," she says and Steve's smile is slow, faintly proud, mostly something entirely different.

"Well..." he says, "at least you don't have to worry about being quiet."

When he drops to his knees in front of her, Noelani realises quickly that's a very good thing.

Waking up the next morning is something of an experience, the sensation of a pair of lips moving along her shoulder blade, of a warm body against her back something that she's not used to. Although, when she turns around and blinks sleepily at Steve, lets her eyes trail down his face and torso, she thinks it's a sight she could definitely get used to.

"Good morning," he says, all bright and twinkly eyed, lips curved in a smile and she groans as she closes her eyes.

"Why did I know you'd be one of those 'up and at 'em' types?" she grumbles.

Steve doesn't look concerned at all, just shifts slightly so that his forearms are on either side of her, his body hovering over hers. "I guess I'll just have to find a way to wake you up then," he says, lowering his lips to her collar bone and by the time he's finishing working his way down her body, Noelani is well and truly awake.

Gentleman that he is, Steve lets her have the first shower - well, he actually suggests they shower together but she shoots that down in flames, because knowing their luck, Junior would hear them and never let them live it down. She doesn't bother washing her hair, throws it into a messy ponytail and when Steve is in the shower, she goes downstairs to pour herself a cup of the coffee Steve said he'd brewed.

Never let it be said he doesn't know the way to her heart.

She's wandered into the living room, is saying good morning to Eddie who's highly excited to see her there when she hears a key in the front door. Much to her surprise, Junior, clad in yesterday's clothes, comes inside, followed closely by Tani, who has changed and whose eyes, already bright, brighten even further when they fall on Noelani. "Good morning," she says chirpily and Noelani bites her lip. Poor Junior doesn't say anything, avoids looking at Noelani altogether and heads straight for the stairs, leaving the two women standing, staring at each other.

Tani, of course, breaks first. "We have got to talk."

Noelani shakes her head. "We really don't."

A raised eyebrow, arms crossed over the chest, is her first response. "That might have worked before your secret relationship with my boss had Junes spending the night on my couch because you two were so freakin' loud." She's laughing as she speaks and Noelani's pretty sure that her blush starts around her navel and works its way rapidly upwards. "And don’t even start me on your ultra messy messy ponytail. So hit me." She makes a gimme motion with her hands. “How long?” 

A sip of coffee buys Noelani a few precious seconds to consider her play; she finally decides to go with the truth. "Not long," she says and that seems to mollify Tani, until she adds, "A couple of months," in the interests of accuracy.

Tani's jaw drops. "Months?" She covers her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry, did you say a couple of months?” When Noelani nods, Tani takes a step closer, drops her voice. “You’ve been having secret sex with Steve McGarrett for a couple of months and you never told me?” 

“Isn’t that what a secret means?” Noelani’s being serious but Tani doesn’t look mollified at all, huffing out an impatient breath through a smile and crossing her arms over her chest. She doesn’t say anything, just stares Noelani down and Noelani crumbles, knowing that if this is what Tani is like in an interrogation room, it’s no wonder she’s such a good police officer. “We didn’t want anyone to know, not at first. If it didn’t work out, we didn’t want it to be awkward, everyone knowing, everyone looking at us...”

Tani presses her lips together and looks down. Knowing that her friend has some experience in that matter - there’s practically a book on when she and Junior will get together - Noelani waits her out. When Tani looks up again, she’s smiling. “And I’m guessing after last night’s performance, things are working out?” Noelani knows that Tani’s talking about the hand holding in the living room but she can’t help it, her mind goes straight to Steve’s bedroom and she’s very glad suddenly that it appears Junior wasn’t in the house. Whatever expression is on her face, it makes Tani howl. “Oh my god.” She throws her hands up. “How have you kept this from us all?” 

“Very carefully,” Noelani admits. “But, Tani... I really like him.” In point of fact, it’s quite a bit more serious than that but saying it out loud seems a little like tempting fate. Anything else she might be about to say freezes on her lips when she hears Steve’s footsteps heavy on the stairs. He usually moves quietly - he’s a SEAL, it’s a habit - so she knows he’s doing it on purpose, to alert them both to his presence. 

“Tani,” he says when he reaches the bottom of the stairs and his lips twitch when she almost snaps to attention. “I hope you’re not giving my girlfriend the third degree.” He’s moving as he talks, ends the question by draping his arm around Noelani’s shoulders. She can see the twinkle in his eye and Tani must be able to as well because she holds her hands up as if in surrender. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she says and Noelani actually snorts, which makes Tani glare at her. 

“That’s what I thought.” Steve looks down at Noelani, squeezes her shoulder. “You ready?” 

It’s the most natural thing in the world to slip her arm around his waist, smile up at him. “Let’s go.” 

*

When Steve drops Noelani home, he walks her to her door and a glance at his watch tells him that he has plenty of time to follow her inside, pull her close and kiss her. Of course, he shortly thereafter loses track of time, the net result being that she ends up shoving him out the door, buttoning his shirt as he goes, and he's later to work than he usually is, ends up walking into a full headquarters. Tani and Junior clam up the second he walks in the door and all heads turn around to look at him which lets him know loud and clear, as if he couldn't have already guessed, that the jungle drums have well and truly started beating and his secret is out. 

He doesn't invite conversation, a quick good morning and he's into his office to start the dreaded paperwork on the case they wrapped up yesterday but he barely gets the file open and a pen in his hand before his office door opens and Danny walks in. 

Steve leans back in his chair, abandons the thought of doing any work for the foreseeable future. "You're late," he says and when Danny spreads his hands in question, Steve continues, "I didn't think you'd let me get sitting down before you were in here asking questions." 

Danny recovers quickly. "Well, it's what we do around here, Steven. You surprise me, I surprise you, we got a nice little quid pro quo going." Steven and Latin; Steve ramps up his estimation of just how amped up Danny is. 

"Quid pro quo, is that what you call it?" 

"Well, I gotta call it something, considering you've been hiding a relationship from us all for the last couple of months. I don't know whether to be offended or impressed... I mean, I get Noelani hiding it because let's face it, you're hard work and she can do so much better than you..." Steve's jaw drops and he shakes his head, fairly sure that Danny is joking. Mostly joking anyway - he's pretty sure Noelani could, indeed, do better than him. "But you... what, were you afraid we'd try to stage an intervention, talk her out of it?" 

"Yes, Danny, that's exactly what I was afraid of." Steve doesn't try to hide his eyeroll, put as much sarcasm as he can into that sentence. Then, realising he's not going to get anywhere with Danny like that, he takes a deep breath, pinches the bridge of his nose before he speaks again. "Look, man, we were going to tell you. We just wanted a little bit of time to ourselves first. Figure out where we were going without eyes all over us."

Danny blinks, and Steve's not sure whether he's taken aback by the actual words or the way that he said them. Either way, Danny slows his pacing, slows his waving hands. "You sound like you've actually talked about this." He sits down in the chair across from Steve.

"Because we have."

"You? Had a real conversation about your feelings with a woman?" Steve nods and Danny looks impressed. "I take it all back, Noelani's obviously a miracle worker."

He's being sarcastic but Steve smiles anyway. "She's something."

Danny cocks his head, like a bloodhound sensing its prey. "Is that a smile I see around those lips? Does our Tin Man suddenly have a heart?"

"Noelani, she's..." Steve tries to find the words but they freeze in his throat. Or maybe, he thinks, just maybe, there are no words. "She gets it, man. All of this." A wave of his hand encompasses the two of them, the office, Five-O. "She understands when a case grabs you and doesn't let go.” It was something Lynn had never really understood, not fully anyhow, something Catherine had understood a little too well. “She’s straightforward... honest... she tells it like it is.” 

“And God knows, you need someone to call you out on your bullshit.” Danny leans back in his chair, a smile playing around his lips. 

Steve’s able to chuckle at that. “I know this surprised you, Danny,” he says. “It surprised me too. I wasn’t looking for anyone... and I looked around one day and there she was.” He shrugs, lets his mind drift back to this morning, to waking up with her in his arms as the early morning sun began to peek through the blinds. It had been the first time he’d ever been able to do that and he’d been surprised by how right it felt, by the sense of peace he’d felt going to sleep and waking up with her. “I can be myself with her, Danny... and I know she can be herself with me. I don’t know if I’ve ever had that before.” 

There’s a long moment of silence and, unusually, Danny is quiet and serious when he speaks. “Then I’m happy for you.” He tilts his head, squints a little. “Although in all seriousness, I must point out that not only is Noelani far better than you deserve, she’s also a friend of mine, which means if you hurt her, I’m gonna have to kick your ass.” 

Steve meets his gaze steadily. “I would expect nothing less.” 

Danny seems content to leave it at that. “So, before you came in we were thinking of team drinks tonight, location to be decided... you in?” 

“Yeah, I’m in.”

Steve's not the least bit surprised when Danny affects a casual air as he stands. “You should bring your girl,” he says, like Noelani hadn’t been often invited to team drinks on her own merit, like Steve hadn't been going to pick up the phone and call her anyway. 

“I might just do that,” is all Steve says in reply, just to needle Danny the tiniest amount. Hey, he has to have some pleasures in life with a mountain of paperwork in front of him. 

Later on that day, he gets a reminder of some of his other pleasures in life when he picks up Noelani - who had been very enthusiastic about team drinks - at her place. His first reminder comes when she opens the door, all ready to go, hair curled and makeup perfect, in a sleeveless red dress with some kind of tiny flowery print that skims over her body and ends at her knees, skirt flaring out as she gives him a slow twirl, her lips curling up in an equally slow smile. 

They end up running a little late because he kisses her enough to ruin her lipstick but not enough to ruin her hair and they’re greeted by several knowing grins when they arrive hand in hand. 

The strangest thing, he decides about this whole thing, is that it isn’t strange at all. The conversation and laughter flows as easily as always, the only difference is that Noelani’s hand finds his every now and then, his arm looping casually around her shoulders, fingers tracing idle patterns on the skin of her shoulder. She doesn’t hide the smile on her lips as her eyes meet his and when the music shifts, changes to something slow and soft and swaying, he doesn’t think twice about standing up and holding out his hand to her. “C’mon,” he says, just like he did the previous night in his living room in front of Junior and Tani and he gets the same response, another one of her blinding smiles as she stands up and takes his hand. 

“Woah, woah, what is this?” Danny spreads his hands wide but in spite of his words, in spite of his tone, he’s grinning widely. “You don’t dance!”

It’s not exactly true - Steve does dance, he just doesn’t do it often. And he’s not about to explain the distinction to Danny, not when he’s got better things to do. So he just shrugs, lacing his fingers through Noelani's. “I’m trying new things,” he says, leading her out onto the dance floor, blocking out the catcalls from the team. He’s their boss, after all, there are myriad ways he can exact revenge. 

All of them, however, are very far from his mind as he pulls Noelani close, one hand resting on the small of her back, the other, joined with hers, resting over his heart. Her free hand slides around his waist and she tilts her head to the side as she looks up at him, her eyes sparkling. “So, new things?” 

Steve pretends to consider it. “I hear it’s good for the soul.”

She presses a little closer to him, her smile turning from amused to almost winsome. God help him, Steve can’t resist that look. “So how’s that working out for you, Commander?” 

“Pretty good,” he says and she affects an impressed face. “Matter of fact, I’m thinking we should do this more often. How would you feel about that?” 

Noelani hums, her eyes drifting off to the side like she’s thinking about it. “I think I could be persuaded,” she finally says, making Steve laugh. 

“Oh, and what would I have to do to persuade you?” But he thinks he has a pretty good idea and, when he leans down to kiss her, he knows that he’s right.


End file.
